Hermetic sealing machine with vacuum control means



Sept. 16, 1952 z, FQUSE 2,610,779

HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS Filed Oct. 11, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet l Ifl/// INVENTOR j udvidFZTiue ATTORNEY Sept. 16, F. 2. FbUSE HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL "8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11, 1946 HE/ID zomv Z JZusev AITORNEY i Sept. 16, 1952 F. Z. FOUSE HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS Filed Oct. 11, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 8 1a 15 I i g I is INVENTOR ATTORNEY F.Z.FOUSE Sept. 16, 1952 HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 11, 1946 INVENTOR Fir/1nd Z. fins! ATTORNEY WM 7 W Sept. 16, 1952 F, z FQUSE 2,610,779

HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS Filed Oct. 11, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 N f 1 ,l 140 141 /ZZL 115a 9-5 L 114d E mm 24 99a 144 zzd 142 1' w a 9 54 J45 I Z E p: 151 ji i 4 H 15a i m E 1 9 1: x I [I1 157 155 75 I 159 Mia 1 M I I 6 I 154 i I I I l i I INVENTOR ilfgnkfi Z 70 11.5( 7 2M LMMKZ ATTORNEY 1.48 fizz/ 1111f Z. 7%!

8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR A TORNEIY F 2 FOUSE HERMETIC SEALTNGMACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS Sept. 16, 1952 filed 001 11 1946 Sept. 16, 1952 F. 2. FOUSE HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Oct. 11, 1946 INVENTOR Tim find Z fins? BY v MWQM HTTORNE 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR War/Frail Z flask ATTORNEY ilk.

F Z FOUSE HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS Sept. 16, 1952 Flled Oct 11 1946 Patented Sept. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMETIC SEALING MACHINE WITH VACUUM CONTROL MEANS Frederick Z. Fousc, Lancaster, Ohio, assignor to Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 11, 1946, Serial No. 702,785

12 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to sealing machines for applying closures to containers and more particularly 'to additions to and improvements in the sealing machine of my prior application Ser. No. 558,228, now Patent No. 2,510,568, issued June 6, 1950, filed in the United States Patent Office on October 11, 1944, and owned by the assignee of the present invention.

In the sealing of products such as coffeeunder vacuum, the lightness of the product, and its tendency to be drawn out of the container by the rush of air through it, has proven quite, troublesome. In addition, the light particles get into the parts of the machine and tend to clog it, preventing effective operation. Packers prefer screw closure caps for sealing many products because the cap can be removed and replaced to keep the package tightly sealed while the product is being used. The use of screw closures introduces additional complications in the sealing and vacuumizing operation.

The present invention aims to minimize or overcome the above problems and to improve the machine of said application Ser. No. 558,226.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealing machine for sealing closur caps to containers, particularly glass containers. I I

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing machine for sealing screw closure caps to containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing head for sealing closures to containers.

Another object of the invention is to control th connection of a sealing head to a source of vacuum to prevent the application of vacuum except when a container is within the head.

Another object of the invention is to provide-an improved control for the application of vacuum to the product which gradually increases the indicated in the appended claims,'and various-advantages not referred to herein will. occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice. 1 A preferred embodiment of the invention ha been chosen for purposes of illustration and dei 2 scrlption and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification,

wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the sealing machine;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the sealing machine;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, illustrating th interior of the machine and the operation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through one embodiment of sealing head;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the lower portion of the sealing head shown in Fig. 4 with a container in position therein;

, Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of another embodiment of sealing head with the lower portion shown in elevation;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the lower portion of the sealing head shown in Fig. 6 with a container in place therein;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the line 88 of Fig. 3*illustrating an improved mechanism for controlling the vacuum to which the container is subjected;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view along the line 9-9 of 1 Fig. 8 illustrating details of the mechanism'of the filling machine and a modified conveyor therefor;

and

, Fig. 15 is a detailed view illustrating features of the closure feed.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for illustrative purposes Without any intention of limiting the invention beyond the comprehensive scope of the claims, and for simplification will be described under the headings:

(1) General description, (2) Drive,,(3) Sealing -turret,--(4) Sealing heads, (5) Modified sealing ;,heads-, (6) Vacuum control, (7) Modified vacuum control,;(8) Cap-feed, (9) Combined filling and sealing, and (10) Operation.

General description a conveyor 2 which is mounted on pulleys at the respective ends secured to extensions 4 bolted to the base of the machine. The conveyor is of the type illustrated in my prior application Ser. No. 558,226 and comprises links having plates 5 attached thereto which flex vertically and laterally to give, in effect, a universal movement. By means of this type of conveyor the containers may be carried through the machine with a single conveyor which bends laterally to go around a horizontal sprocket mounted on the vertical axis of the star wheel and on the vertical axis of the turret and which bends to go around the vertically mounted sprockets at the ends of the machine. The mounting of the conveyor may be and preferably is the same as in my said prior application.

Filled containers 6 are placed on the conveyor at one end of the machine and are moved past a bumper I into a helicoid B (Fig. 2) where the containers are properly spacedto enter the recesses 9 of a star wheel III. The star wheel, helicoid and bumper may likewise be similar to those in my prior application. The containers then pass from the starwheel III to a star wheel I I mounted on the column I2 of the sealing turret and are held in the star wheel by an adjustably mounted guide I4. The star wheel II registers the containers with the sealing heads I5. The conveyor, on leaving the, sealing machine, passes about a sprocket (not shown) similar to the sprocket on the opposite side of the machine. Closures may be fedto the machine by hand but in the preferred embodiment a hopper I6 is utilized for feeding the closures to a guideway I1, and the closures are delivered to recesses I8 in a. star wheel I9 which moves the closures under the sealing heads l5 where they are picked up by the sealing heads and carried therein until the sealing head registers with the mouth of a container. At that time the closure is held directly above the container in engagement with or spaced slightly from the mouth of it. The head drops down on the container, as shown in Fig. 5, and forms a seal with the shoulder of the container by means of the gasket 20. Thereafter the container is subjected slowly to vacuum during a substantial part of its movement, preferably about 150 degrees about the turret. and after a suitable vacuum is formed in the container head space, the closure is forced down and rotated by means of a cam 68 (Fig. 3) and a gear 22 to apply the closure to the container. The sealing head is then raised by a cam 24v and the sealed container passes out of the machine on the conveyor 2.

The parts described above and their operations will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Drive While any suitable driving arrangement-may be utilized, the preferred embodiment shows a reduction gear 25 (Fig. 3) attached to a bracket 26 which is bolted to the base I of the machine. A pulley. 21 with a belt28 thereon drives the reduction gear. A suitable. speedometer 29 may be operatively connected through the flexible cable 30 to a shaft 3| for indicating the speed of the machine. Preferably the belt 28 is connected to a motor having a V-shaped pulley forminga part of a Reeves drive whereby the motor may be moved toward and away from the pulley 21 to increase and decrease the speed of the drive. Preferably the position of the motor is controlled by any suitable connection from a hand wheel 32 (Fig. 1). A vertical shaft 34 extends upward- 1y from the reduction gear 25 with the gear thereon meshing with a gear 36 for driving the cap feed and with an idling gear 31 meshing with gear 38 bolted to a member 39 rotatably mounted on the column I2 of the sealing turret. The star wheel II and the conveyor sprocket 40 are bolted to the rotatable member 29. The other conveyor sprockets are driven through the intermediation of the conveyor which in turn is driven by the sprocket 40 bolted to the rotatable member 39.

The hopper I6 for the closures may be driven in any suitable manner but preferably by a vertical shaft operatively connected to the shaft of the sprocket (not shown) at the right of the machine.

Sealing turret Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the sealing turret carrying the sealing heads I5, herein illustrated as sixteen in number, is mountedabout a central column I2 in the form of a hollow casting bolted at its lower end to the base I as shown at 4|. The lower end of the column I2 as described above has the drive gear 38 bolted to a member 39 rotatable thereon. The member 39 likewise has bolted to it the star wheel II for registering the containers with the sealing heads I5 and also the sprocket 40 for driving the conveyor 2.

The upper end of the column I2 has a second casting 44 telescoped about it and secured against rotation with respect to it by means of a bar 45 fitting in vertical slots 46 in the column I2. The vertical slots 46 permit vertical movement of the casting 44 by means of a hand wheel 41 having a shaft 48 threaded into a cap 49 bolted to the upper end of the column I2. The casting 44 carries a casting 50 nested about its upper end and having a flange 5| at its lower end carrying a cam 24 at its outer periphery. The flange 5I likewise carries a circular gear 54 mounted adjacent its outer periphery and adapted to mesh with gears 22 for rotating the chucks in the sealing heads I5 for screwing closures onto containers.

The column I2 has a rotatable head 56 mounted about its center on flange 44a and carries the sealing heads I5 about its periphery. The outer casings I I I of the sealing heads are bolted to the rotatable" head 56 and the parts inside the casing are supported by the cam rollers 55 on the cam 24. The details of the sealing heads will be described hereinafter.

The rotatable member 56 is driven by a series of vertical members 58 secured at their lower ends to the star wheel II and slidably mounted at their upper ends in recesses 59. This permits the rotatable member 56, with the sealing heads and cam 2'4 thereon, to be raised and lowered by means of the hand wheel 41 to accommodate containers of different heights.

In order to effect sealing of the closures, there is provided on the upper end of the casting 50 a bracket 60 having a bell crank 6| pivotally mounted thereon with the lower end 62 operatively connected to a sleeve 64 resiliently forced toward the column by means of a spring 65 held in position by' an. adjustable collar 66. The 0pposite end 81' of the bell crank has bolted to it a cam 88. adapted to engage a cam roller 68 on the. upper end of the respective sealing heads (Figs. 3 and 4')- As each sealing head passes under the cam 68" the central shaft of the sealing head carrying the rotating chuck and the closure are forced down on the container to screw the closure thereon.

A vacuum conduit extends upwardly through the hollow column I2 and is attached at its upper end to a valve H which subjects the sealing heads to vacuum prior to the closures being applied. The valve 1I will be described in more detail hereinafter but it generally comprises a lower stationary member 12 and an upper rotatable member 14. The upper rotatable member has conduits 15 connected to each of the sealing heads I5, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. As each sealing head passes the effective portion of the valve H, the conduits 15 and the sealing heads I5 are slowly subjected to vacuum in order to remove the air from the containers without drawing with it the product, even though it be a light, granular material such as coffee.

Sealing heads Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, a preferred embodiment of the sealing head is illustrated. The purpose of the head is to form a chamber about the upper end of the container while air is being exhausted from the chamber and from the container, and then to apply a cap for sealing the container. Preferably the cap is of the screw type which requires rotation to thread it on the container.

The hood forming the sealing chamber is shown in enlarged scalein Fig. 5 where a generally cup-shaped hood 16 has a threaded collar 11 at its lower end clamping in position an annular gasket 18. The gasket fits against the shoulder of the container as shown in Fig. 5 and forms a seal with it. The inside ofthe cupshaped member 16 has an annular recess with a collar 19 therein and a screen 89 back of the collar. Suitable openings 8I in the collar 19 form ports to the inside of the hood. The space back of the screen 80 is operatively connected to the vacuum conduit 15 by means of a conduit 62 (Fig. 4). The opening through the conduit 82 is controlled by a trip valve 84 which may comprise a pin 85 having an enlarged upper end 86 held against a shoulder 81 by means of a spring 88 which is compressed and held in position by a threaded-nut 89. The lower end of the pin 85 passes through apacking gland 90 and has attached to its lower end a containercontacting member 9| which may be made of rubber if desired, butthe pressure required is not sufficient to require the use of rubber. Metal may be used without breaking containers. engagement of the trip '84 with the container raises the pin 85 to cause the recess 92 to register with the conduit 82. This subjects the interior of the cup-shaped member 16 and the chamber about the upper end of the container to a vacuum. The hood or cup-shaped member 16 rotates with the turret but does not rotate about its own axis. I

After the vacuum is formed a closure 94 is screwed on the upper end'of the threaded container 6. This is accomplished by a disc 95 having magnets 93 which engage the cover of the closure to hold it in position directly above the container. An annular chuck 96 is adapted to engage the outer periphery of the closure to screw it on the container. The chuck 96 is secured to a generally cup-shaped member '91 on the vertical shaft 98'; the 'member91 may be secured to the shaft-98 by bolts. The disc 95 is likewise secured to the vertical shaft98- by means of a bolt 99 and a-coil spring I09 which forces the disc 95 into its lower position. When the shaft 98 moves down, the closure is first the intermediation of the spring I09, and as the spring compresses, the chuck 96 engages the outer periphery of the closure to screw it on the container.

The mechanisms will now be described for operating the hood 16,which consists essentially in raising and lowering the hood, and for operating the chuck 96, which consists essentially in lowering and rotating the shaft 98. I

The hood 16 is operatively secured, as by bolts I93, to a hollow shaft member IIlI having an enlarged lower end I02 threaded at I04. A bushing I05 permits the shaft 98 to rotate within the hollow member IIII. A suitable packing gland is formed between the shaft 98 and the hood 16 by means of an annular packing ring I 05 formed of any suitable packing material. The outside of the packing ring is held in position by the inside of the enlarged end I92 of the hollow member IIII. The upper side of the packing is held in position by a ring I91. The tightness of the packing may be adjusted by means of the screw collar I08 which is in engagement with a collar I99 having pins I I9 passing through slots I02 in the enlarged end I92 and engaging the upper side of the ring I91. By rotating the collar I08the ring I91 on the upper side of the packing may be forced down or up to increase the efiectiveness of the packing.

The hollow member I III, fixed to the hood 16, extends upwardly about the shaft 98 and its associated parts, and within the outer casing III which may be accurately located in position by a dowel pin fitting into an aperture H3 and bolted to the rotary head 55 of the machine. The upper end of the hollow member IBI extends about a cross pin II2 having a cam roller 55 thereon shown in engagement with the upper surface of the cam 24. As the sealing head rotates with the turret about the machine. the cam roller 55 .is raised and lowered by the cam 24 to raise and lower the hood or cup-shaped member 16 through the hollow member IllI which is attached at its lower end to the cup-shaped member 16.

The pin II2 extends through a slot Ill in the shaft 98a which permits movement relative to the shafts 98 and 98a. Suitable slots Il5'in the outer casing member II I likewise permit vertical movement of the pin II2. A suitable coil spring I I6 interposed between the lower end of the casing member III and the enlarged end of the member I9I tends to retain the head in its lower position. The weight of the head may in some instances be sufficient without the spring, but the addition of aspring is preferred.

The cam 24 has a suitableinclined portion 24a (Fig. 3) for lowering the hood onto the shoulder of a container and a similar portion for raising the hood off the container after it has been sealed. In addition, the cam holds the hood in proper position so that the cap-holding disc is substantially flush with the end thereof to facilitate picking up a closure from the closure feed, as will be described hereinafter.

.Referring now to the means for operating the chuck for screwing the closure on the container, the shaft 98, to which the chuck 95 is attached by means of the member 91 and to which the cap-retaining member 95 is attached by means of the bolt 99 and spring I09, has a recess or bearing H1 at its upper end extending about the reduced lower end I I 8 of the shaft 95c which is a continuation of the shaft 98. However, the

rod aaa does not rotate. In order to facilitate relative rotation between the shaft 98 and the rod 98 a ball thrust bearing II9 is provided. Asuitable clutchmember I20 may be force-fitted to the reduced upper end of the member 98 and may have a conical upper part I200. fitting into a conical part 2211. which forms a part of the gear 22 extending about the rod 98a.

The conical surfaces 22a. and: i205: are forced toward each other by means of a sleeve I2I held in its downward position by means of a spring I22 adjustably secured in position by a threaded collar I24. Suitable slots I2 Ia permit the sleeve I2I' to move up and down without interfering with the pin II2. A suitable roller bearing I25 may be interposed between the sleeve I2I and the gear member 22. The upper end of the rod 98a is bolted to a member I26 slidablyfitting in a cup member I21 bolted. to the upper end of the member III fixed to the turret 55. A suitable cam roller 69 is secured to the member I25 by a pin I28.

When the cam roller 09 is engaged by the cam 68, as shown in Fig. 3, the member I26 is forceddown in opposition to a spring I29 to force the rod 580. down and also the shaft 98. The closure on the holder 95' is forced down on the mouth of the container. Further downward movement or the shaft 98 compresses the spring I until the. chuck 96 engages the closure. The spring I22, through the intermediation'of the threaded collar on the rod 98a, forces the gear member 22 and theconical clutch part 22a thereof against the conical clutch part I20a of the member I20 on shaft 98 to rotate the chuck 88 continuously; The chuck may be of the type which will slip on the closure when it becomes sufficiently tight on the container but preferably the friction clutch is adjusted by means of the threaded ring I24 to slip when a given torque is reached. If preferred, a combination of these two may be used in applying the closure.

As a sealing head passes around the turret, it first picks up a closure by means of the magnets in the closure holder disc 95 (Fig. Thereafter the head moves until it registers with a container whereupon the hood I0 drops down on the shoulders of the container, as shown in Fig. 5. Simultaneously the member 8% engages the shoulder of the container to open the vacuum conduit 82 and to subject the space about the container to a vacuum. When a sufficient vacuum is obtained, by the container being exposed to the vacuum for a. predetermined period; that is, through a predetermined arc of its movement, the cam roller 69 engages the cam 62, as shown in Fig. 3, which forces the rod 98a and the shaft 98 downwardly. This causes the cap holder 95 to move down with the chuck 96 and when the closure engages the container the cap holder 95 moves upwardly in opposition to the spring I00 until the chuck 95 engages the rim of the closure. whereupon the conical portion 22a and Ia of the friction clutch, forced together by the spring I22, rotate the chuck to apply the closure. By adjusting the compression in the spring I22 by means of the threaded collar I24, any desired amount of tightness maybe obtained in screwing the closure on the container.

Modified sealing heads Referring more particularly to Figs. 6 and '7, a. modified form of sealing head is illustrated. This sealing head is adapted to accomplish the same general objective as the sealing head de- 8: scribed above with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, but the preferred. embodiment has additional advantages.

A suitable hollow casting III is attached to the turret of the machine by a suitable locating dowel pin fitting in the. recess I3I and bolts (not shown) and moves about the machine in the same vertical position. Housed within this casting are the vertically movable and rotatable parts which screw the cap on the container under vacuum.

A hood I5a is adapted to fit about the upper end of the container 0 and has a gasket 18a vulcanized or otherwise secured into a ring 18b which is held in position by a screw ring 11a. The gasket 18a rests on. the shoulder of the container to form a seal with it. The upper end of the hood I5a is bolted to a flange on a cylindrical member I32 which has a reduced portion about its lower outer periphery to form an annular chamber I34 within the hood. The chamber' I34 is connected by an annular port I35a formed by the space between the lower end of the cylindrical member I32 and the upper side I35 of the shoulder at the bottom of the hood I5a and operatively connected to the vacuum conduit 15 for exhausting the air from the head space.

The upper endof the cylindrical member I32 is bolted to a flange on the member I0 Ia which extends upwardly within the casting II'I having an. opening IOIb to permit entrance of the gear 54 and having a pin I I2a extending through its upper end with a cam roller 55 thereon adapted to engage thecam 24. The pin II2a may move up and down. in the recess II5a in the casting I30. Thus the hood I.5a is moved up and down in response to the cam 24 so that the hood may be dropped over a container to form a chamber about the upper end for exhausting the air from the container and also for moving up to permit the container to be removed and the cap holder to be flush with the lower end ofthe hood in order to facilitate picking up a closure from the closure feed.

In some cases a container may not be fed to a particular head. of the machine. In that case it would be undersirable for the vacuum to go on. as the vacuum conduit I5 is subjected to vacuum. In order to accomplish this result, a pin I36 passes through an aperture in the gasket 18a so that it is engaged by the shoulder of the container when the head rests on it. This forces the pin upwardly against a. spring I31 to move the enlargement I 38 from over the port I39 so that the vacuum. becomes effective on the chamber I34. Any other suitable means may be utilized for cutting ofi the vacuum when a container is not within the head.

A closure holder a is mounted within the head I5a having a series of magnets 93a. for holding the closure. in position. The holder 95a has an upwardly projecting part 99a threaded into a shaft 88b. The shaft 98?) has a recess I.I4a. which permits it to move vertically with respect to the pin 2:1 and also has a recess I40 at its upper end to accommodate a pin MI and to permit a limited vertical movement with respect to the pin and the outer casting III. As the hood drops down on the container, the cap holder 95a drops also and is supported by the closure engaging the mouth of the container. In view of the fact that the-closure. is of the screw type, this does not interfere with the withdrawal of the air from the head space of the container; in

fact, it tends to prevent small particles of cofie or a similar product from being drawn out of the container.

A suitable chuck 96a, which maycomprise a rubber or leather member secured to a rin member 962) threaded into a second ring member 960 having an inturned flange, is held in position on the lower end of a member 220 by means of a threaded ring 96d. A suitable annular friction member I42, which may be made of leather or a similar material, is interposed between the upper side of the member 96c and the flange 2211 on the lower end of the member 220 to provide a friction drive for rotating the chuckfor applying the closure. I V

A suitable gasket member I44 may be interposed between the member 22c and the sleeve I45 to seal the parts. Additional sealing may be obtained by utilizing a heavy grease or lubrication. A further sleeve I46 provides a bearing between the part 220 and the sealing head supporting member IIIIa. The member 220 has a gear 22b formed on its upper end meshing with the gear 54 so that the chuck and its supporting member 220 are rotated by the gear 54 as the head is moved in its circular path about the sealing machine.

A suitable snap ring I4'I isprovided at the upper end of-the member 220 to hold the parts in position on theinner member I45 and to permit rotation with respect thereto. The inner member I45 extends on up with suitable slots for vertical movement with respect to the pins 211 and I4 I and is integral with the upper end member I26a and held in its upper position by means of a spring I48. A cam roller 69 is secured in the upper'end thereof for engagement with the cam 68 (Fig. 3). I

Engagement of the cam roller 69. with the cam 68 forces the member'l45 down and with it the member 220 geared to the gear 54 and holding at its lower end the chuck. 96a. Since the inner rod 982), having the cap holder 95a at the lower end thereof, rests upon the closure on the upper end of the container, the chuckfltawill telescope over the closure until it engages. it. Since the chuck is beingrotated by the gear 54, meshing with the gear 222) thereon, the cap is screwed on. While certain types of chuck will slip on the closure when it is sufiiciently sealed, thefriction member I42 intermediate the members 960 and 22d permits slippage at the point of connection between the chuck members and the member 220 to prevent excessive tightening of the closure. This friction drive also permits the use of a chuck which will not slip on'the' closure and provides uniform tightening of the closures on the containers.

In the operation of the sealing head, the cam 24 permits the sealing head I5a operatively connected to the pin II2a, having the cam roller 55 thereon, to drop over the upper end of the container 6, as shown in Fig. '7. The weight of the sealing head is sufiicient for this purpose but preferably a spring II6a is utilized to aid gravity in this respect. When the sealing gasket IIa engages the shoulder of the container, the pin I35 will be moved'upwardl'y to uncover the end I39 of" the vacuum conduit I5 subjecting the head space of the containerand'the inside of the hood to vacuum and withdrawing the air therefrom. The lowering of the sealing head also lowers the cap holder 95a and its supporting rod 9% so that the closure during this time is resting on the mouth of the conta: er. 1 i

After the container has been subjected to a vacuum for a predetermined period,'the cam 68 (Fig. 3) engages the cam roller 69 which in opposition to spring I48 moves downwardly the sleeve I45 which carries; through the snap ring M1, the rotatable sleeve 22c'geared' by means of the gear 22b thereonto the gear 54. The lower end of the rotating member 220 carries the chuck 96a whichm'oves down on the closure and screws it on. The tightness of the closure will depend on the friction member I42 and the tightness with whichit .is held in position by the screw ring 96d. [After the, closure is screwed on, the head, the sealingchu'ck and the closure holder are raised upwardly until the head is flush with the closure holder to permit the conveyor to move'the sealed container from the sealing head and to permit the closure holder t0 pick up a closurefrom' theclosure feed.

Vacuum control In order to withdraw. the air from the head 1 space of the container, it :is necessary to connect the vacuumconduit I0. (Fig. 3) extending Referring more particularlyto the section in Fig. 3 and the enlargement of the central portion thereof in Fig. 9, the vacuum conduit I0 is operatively connected to an annular member I2 bolted to a flange 44a on the cylindrical member 44 which is held against rotation by the cross member 45. The member." has an arcuate port I48 extending substantially degrees about the circumference asv illustrated. in Fig. 8. Just above the member I2 and the port, a member I49, secured to the turret 55 and separated from the member 44 by a bushing I50, carries an annular member "to which thejconduits i5 leading to the sealing. heads are connected at one end as illustrated more particularly in Fig.3. A suitable connection I52 (Fig. 9) may be utilized for lubricating .the surface between the members I2 and I4. Thesurfaces are held resiliently togetherby meansof springs I54 on: bolts I55.

As each sealing head passes the portion of the machine in front" of the arcuate port I48, the conduit I5 connecting the sealing head to the member I4 will be exposed to the port so that the sealing head .or hood I 5 will be subiected to a vacuum; with many. products,such

as ground ccfiee which is relatively light in weight and contains a massv of air within the product, a sudden vacuum will draw some of the product out with the. air. This is objectionable. The present invention provides means whereby the product is subjected to the vacuum slowly and to an increasing extent .to prevent substantial disturbance of the product.

The mechanism for this purpose is illustrated in Figs. 3, 8, 9 and 10 andpreferably comprises an arcuate bar I 56"extendingcentrally of the arcuate port I48 having its upper surface in'registry with the outlets 151) (Fig. 3) to the conduit I5. This bar, when flushwith the bottom'surface of the member I4, closes off the outlets I55. The rate of withdrawing the air can be regulated by spacing the bar I56from the lower surface or the member I4. This is accomplished by forming slots I5I (Fig; 10)"in'the'bar'l5fi.andmounting the bar on'eccentric'ally' mounted pins or shafts I58 fitting in 'said slots. 'By rotation "of the pins the bar maybe raised or lowered to any desired extent. In actual operation the bar is raised until it is nearer the lower surface of the member 14 at the forward end'of the vacuum port; that is, to the left of it, 'andthe spacing is increased by means of the other three pins I58 until the port is fully open at the opposite end on the right of Fig. 8. In this way a very accurate regulation. can be obtained and the adjustment may be quickly made. Suitable cross pins I60 are swaged into apertures in the bar I56 to 'hold it centrally with respec'tto the port I48, as shown more particularly in Figs. 8 and 10.

In this manner, the respective sealing heads may be subjected slowly to vacuum and the rate of withdrawal of the air regulated to get maximum results without drawing out or disturbing the product being sealed.

Modified vacuum control A modified construction for regulating the withdrawal of air from containers is illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13. -The vacuum conduit 10a extending upwardly through the central part of the machine passes through an aperture in the cylindrical column member I2 and connects with a member 12a which in turn connects with a port I6I operatively connected to the conduit 15 leading to the sealing heads I at the aperture 150. The arcuate-port I48a corresponds to the port. I48 in the embodiment previously described with reference to Figs. 8 to 10.

The part 12ais stationary as it is fixed to the cylindrical member I2 and likewise the part I62 fitting about the member I2 is stationary. The annular member I64, having the opening 150 for connections to the vacuum conduit 15, rotates with the turret. The rotation of this part is achieved by bracket I65 connected to the star wheel II by means of rods I66. In order to avoid ir leakage, a suitable packing I61 may be held in place by the member I68 at the top and bottom. The member I60 is held in position by an annular ring I69 threaded onto the member I62.

In order to obtain slow withdrawal of air at the commencement and an increase as the evacuation continues, there is provided a grooved member I10, shown in detail in Fig. 13, fixed in close proximity to the outlet 150. As the outlets pass over this member they are first subjected to a single groove as shown at I10aand further on to a second groove I10b' and any number of additional grooves, here illustrated as four, to give the gradual withdrawal desired. Toward the end of the port all of the grooves register with the opening 150 which gives a wide open port. While the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10 is preferred,.the present embodiment has certain advantages as an alternative form.

While the machine andthe valves have been described herein with reference to removing the air by exhausting it, itwill beunderstood that vapor. maybe .utilizedto fill the head space with vapor and seal the. closure while the head space is thus filled, so that when the vapor condenses a vacuum will be formed. This is illustrated in detail in my prior application, and the same means and mechanism could be utilized herein for the application of screw. closures. In that case the vapor could be injected into. the heads through the conduits 10 and through which the air is now withdrawn in the present machine. In the use of vapor the gasket for form: ing a seal with the shoulder on the container 12 could be omitted as 'a'sealrat this point would not be necessary or,alternatively, the hood could be spaced from the shoulder of the container by the adjustment *of the machine.

ca feed As described herei'nbe'fore, any suitable means may be utilized for feeding closures to the star wheel I9 out of which the closures are picked up by the closure holders in the hoods I5. As illustrated herein, a suitable hopper I 6 (Fig. l), which may be purchased in the open market, is provided having a guideway I1 leading from it with the end of the guideway terminating adjacent the star wheel I 9 as shown inFigs. 2 and 15. The closures are released from the guideway by means of a pin I1I operatively attached to a bell crank I12 having its other arm attached to a rod I". The rod I14 (Fig. 2) is connected to an arm I15 on a shaft I16 which has a lower arm attached to a rod I11 connected at its opposite end to an arm I18 on shaft I19 having an arm I in the path of the containers passing through thestar wheel I0. 'As a container-engages the arm I80, the arm is moved outwardly,- moving thear'm I18 to the left together with the rods I11 and I14, which in turn pulls the'bell crank I12 down movin the pin I1I down to release a closure. The released closure moves iorwarduntil it is stopped by the curved end portion I 13 'or'the 'cap chute and so held until removed by the star wheel I8, the pin I1I returning to upward position beneath substantially the center portion of a succeeding cap. Thus a closure is released each time a container passes the arm I80 and only a single cap is released at a time. If a container fails to pass the arm, a closure is not released and will not be fed to thehead which would normally register with the particular container.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 3, the hood I5 is raised upwardly flush with or slightly above the cap holder. As the cap-gholder passes over the star wheel I0 and over a closure therein, the magnets 93 in the cap holder draw the cap upwardly and carry it. along .with the sealing head so that it registers with the'container fed in through the star wheels.

Combined filling and sealing It is desirable in many instancesto combine a filling machine with a sealing machine andto operate the two as'a unit. The construction illustrated in Fig. 14 is primarily'adapted for this purpose. The filling machine is illustrated diagrammatically at I8I driven from the sealing machine through the intermediatio'n of gears I02 and I84 and shaft I85 operatively connected to suitable gears I86 on the machine drive. In this way the filling machine may bedriv'enas a unit With the sealing machine. a

Where a filler is combined in this manner, the conveyor in thepresent machine ishot sufilc'ie'ntly long to reach the'fill'ing machine and leave sufllcient space betweenthe two. Itis therefore desirable to have an extension of thecon'vey'or which is illustrated in Fig. li a t I88. The extended conveyor maybe substantially similar to the conveyor of the present machine but is preferably driven direct from the sea'ling' machine through the intermediation ofsh'zift I80 operatively connected at its opposite end to the drive for the sealingmachine, A suitable guide I00 may be utilized to guide the containers from one conveyor to the other.

container.

I Operation In the operation of the machine, containers 6 are placed on the conveyor which moves the containers past the bumper 1 into the helicoid 8. The bumper'l permits the containers to move outwardly until they become properly registered with the helicoid. The star wheel I0 is driven synchronously with the helicoid and receives the containers spaced by it and moves them with the conveyor in spaced relation until they are in line for entrance to the sealing turret as shown in Fig. 2. I

Each container passes the arm I80 which operates the closure release through the intermediation of rods Ill and I14 and the pin I'II (Fig. The closure passes into a recess I8 in the star wheel I9 v(Fig. 2) and is moved by the star wheel into registry with a sealing head, whereupon the magnets in the sealing head draw the closure up so that it is held by the sealing head in the position shown in Fig. 3. The sealing head with the closure in it moves on withthe turret until it registers with the container which released the closure. At that time the cam 24 declines as shown at 2411 to drop the hood down on a container so that a closed chamber is formed about the upper end of the container, as shown more particularly in Fig. 5. At this point the vacuum conduits 15 leading to the sealing heads I5 re ister with the annular port I48 so that the upper 0 end of the'container is subjected to vacuum by being connected to the vacuum conduit III.

The removal of the air is regulated by the position of thearcuate bar I56 which may be raised or lowered by means of the pins I58 having an eccentric surface which engages the bar. In this way the ;containers are subjected slowly to a vacuum until the air'has been removed. This prevents disturbance of the product within the When the air has been removed as the container approaches port I48, the ro1ler69 engages the cam 68 as shown in Fig. .3 to force downwardly the rotating sealing chuck 96 to screw the closure on the container. The rotating chuck 96 is connected to the gear 21 which meshes with the gear 54 by means of a friction drive formed by the two conical surfaces 22a and I2ila (Figs. 4 and 5). When the closure has been turned on to proper tightness, the friction clutch slips to prevent the cap from being too tight. The cam 24 then raises the hood I5 and permits the sealed container to move out of the sealing head to the delivery end of the machine.

The machine may be adjusted for different heights of containers .by means of the hand wheel 41 (Fig. 3) which moves the turret vertically without disturbing itsrotary drive through the rods 58 fitting inslots 59. r

It will be seen that the present invention provides an improved machine for sealing products under a vacuum. The closures may be screwed on while the upper end of the container is enclosed and subjected to a vacuum. The removal of the air may be regulated to avoid disturbing the contents of the container by sudden withdrawal of air. The closures are applied while the containers are subjectedto vacuum and improved means are provided for preventing the closure from being applied too tightly. The machine is simple in construction, rapid in operation and fully capable of withstanding the rough usage to which it may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction-and arrangement or the parts herethe end of the arcuate in without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hood for enclosing at least a portion of a container to form a chamber about the I container to permit air to be withdrawn therefrom, an annular port in said hood extending about the upper end of a container through which the air may bewithdrawn to vacuumize the container, an annular chamber within the hood communicating with said port, a screen extending about said chamber and covering said annular port to screen the air withdrawn.

from the'chamber to prevent particles from clogging the air-withdrawing mechanism, and means within the hood for applying a closure toa container. I

,2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a turret, a plurality of sealing heads mounted on said turret, each head comprising a hood for forming a sealing chamber about at leasta part of a container and a chuck,

within the head for applying a closure to the container, a vacuum conduit connected to said sealing chamber for drawing the air therefrom, an elongated arcuate vacuum port, control means for said conduit comprising an opening adapted to pass over said elongated arcuate vacuum port, and an arcuate elongated member located within said port and adjustable relative thereto for varying the effective area of said port.

3-. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a turret, aplurality of sealing heads mounted on said turret, each head comprising a hood for forming a chamber about at least a part of a container and a chuck within the head for applying a closure to the container, a vacuum conduit connected to said sealing chamber for drawing the air therefrom, an elongated vacuum port, control means for said conduit comprising an opening adapted'to pass over a vacuum port, and means for varying the effective area of said vacuum opening while said opening is passing over said port, said varying means comprising an arcuate bar spaced from said opening and means for adjusting the position of said bar with respect to said opening.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combinationof a turret, a plurality of sealing heads mounted on said turret, each head comprising a hood for forming a chamber about at least a part of a container and a chuck within the head for applying a closure to the container, a vacuum conduit connected to said sealing chamber for drawing the air therefrom, an elongated vacuum port, control means for said con duit comprising an opening adapted to pass over a vacuum port, and means for varying the effective area of said opening while said opening is passing over said port, said means comprising a bar in said port over which said opening passes, and means for raising and lowering said bar to fix one end closer to said opening than the other end as it passes over the bar.-

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a turret, a plurality of sealing heads'mounted on said turret, each head comprising a, hood for forming a chamber about at least a part of a container and a chuck within the head for applying a closure to the-container, a vacuum con'duit connected to said sealing ammo chamber .for drawing the air merermm-an elongated vacuum port, eontro1-meansior sa1d conduit comprising an opening adaptedto :pass-over a vacuum port, :means ,for varying the effective area of said opening while-.itzismassing. over;said port, said means'comprising 1a bar-in said ,:port over which said opening passes,;and .aplurality of eccentric supports ;for :raising and lowering said bar to move one end closer tosaid-ropening than the other'endas. it passeszoverthe bar.

.6. .Ina sealing machine, .the combinationpI-a turret, :a plurality of sealing a heads mounted 'on said turret, *vacuum conduits operatively connectedone to eachof said'sealingheads, agslide member mounted .on said turret connected to said vacuum conduits and exposing openings. at the ends of the conduits, a stationary-member engaging said slide member having; ,;port;therein operatively connected fora-vacuum and adapted to register with the ends of said ,COIldUitSfOII said slide member during a portion of their travel with the turret, anda bar adjustablyv mounted within said port for restricting theopeningsin saidslidable member as theybecome-exposed-to the vacuum port.

7. In a. sealing machine, the combination-eta turret, a plurality ofsealing-heads,mountedon said turret, vacuum conduits operatively-connected to said sealingheads, ra slide member mounted on said turret connectedtozsaidvacuum conduits and exposing openings :at .the :ends. .of the conduits, a stationary memberradjacentsaid slide member having .a .port therein operatively connected to. a vacuum land-adapted to,. -register with theeend openings .:of-. said conduits 1on-said slide member during .aportion: of their travel with the turret, and means-within said-portfor restricting the openings in-said slidable ,member as they become eicposednto-the vacuum port,;s aid means comprising an arcuate bar 'adjustably mounted in the port so thatone end ,-may-.be:held closerto the end openings ofu-the conduits than the other end thereof.

8. In a machine of the. class described the combination of a turret aplurali ty of sealing heads mounted on said turret comprising means for forming a. chamberaabouttatleast a portion of a container from which airtmay be withdrawn, means for subjecting-said chamber-tea vacuum including an .elongatedcontinuous-port over which a vacuum connection-moves,-1a:-member located within said elongated .port :and, adjustable with respect to saidelongated port for ;provgressively and gradually increasing the ,ppening of said port to subject said chambera-to vacuum slowly at first and then -to increase the rateof withdrawal of .air.

9. In a device for sealing closures to:co ntainers, the combinationofi a hood having ag portion thereof encompassing the upper end aha-container to form a vacuum.chamberaboutsaidzupperend of the container aholder vforsupporting a screw closure out'ofcontact. but .-in; registry withthe container, means for relatively; moving the holderand. container to: place theclo r on the container, :amchuck within said 'hood mounted to move-downwardly-over saidzholder for screwing the closuregon the. :container, and means for rotating said; chuck.

10. In a devicefor'sealingclosures uncontamershaving shoulders, the combination ofahood having asportion thereof-encompassing theupper :end' of and engaging rtheshoulderz on. a: container to form vahermetic seal; therewith; .and.;i:o

provide a chamberfabout. 'the;.upper..endr .olt'athe container whereby theair ,may be withdrawn from said chamber and from the head space of the container, means for supporting a closure out of contact but in registry-with'the mouth of the container, means for relatively moving-the supporting means and container to place the-closure onthe container, anda chuck withinthe hoodmounted' to move downwardly over said closure supporting means "for screwing the closure on the container.

11.1Ina device for sealing closures on containers'having shoulders, the combination of a hood having a portion thereofencompassing the upper ,end of .and engaging the shoulder: on a container to forma hermetic seal therewith andto provide a chamber about the upper end of 1 the container whereby the air may be ,withdrawn from said chamber, and from the headspace, oi .the container, means for supporting ,a closure out.,of contact but in registry .with the mouth ,of. .the container, meansfor relatively'moving the .supportingmeansand containtr, to place theolo- .Sureon the container, 2. .ChUCk W1thiI1'th hQOd mounted to move downwardly over said closure supporting means for-screwing the closure on the container, and a shaft extending through the upper. part of the hoodfor supporting and rotating the chuck.

.12. In adevice of the ,class described, thecom- .bination of a chuck for applying screw closures to containers, a hoodrextendin fi-boutsaid chuck having-a portion encompassing a. container and forming a vacuumsealing,chamberabout the11p- :peipend thereof, a. shaft extending through the upperpart of said hood Iorsupporting, fl-nd -rotating said chuck, ,a, closure; holder including. a magnet forengaging and supporting. a closure independently of the container,.said holder being resiliently mounted on said shaft wherebysaid 'chuckand closure holder .maymove relative. .to -;each other in the application of a closureto a container, and a chuckwithin-the hood mounted .to, ,move downwardly over said closure holder for .screwing .the closureon the container.

- FREDERICK Z F'OU SE.

,file, of this patent:

UNIT-ED STATES RATENI S Number :Name Date 17,35,978 Hode'son .*Aug.-, '1 1903 1,149,844 Lieber, Aug; 10;=19 15 1,403,879 Taliaferro tJan: 17, 1922 v1,964,078 Podel June26; 1934 11,978,522 'Darling Oct. 30, 1934 1,992,557 :Tone etal Feb..26,-1935 I 2,029,823 Huntley et. a1 .Feb..4, 1936 2,030,188 Smith :'Feb.i11, 1936 2,034,878 .Podel Mar; 24, 1936 2,042,733 .Risser June. 2, 1936 r2,0.88.,012 .Rector :July 27,. 1937 2,126,942 'fBarnby ;Aug. 16,1938 1,135,059 Uren "117cm.v 1," 1988 2,170,469 Carter ..Aug.-22,1939 2,239,115 Pearson Apr., 22, 1941 2,241,455 Gantzer May 13," 1941 2,254,642 Barnby et=al Sept; 2; 1941 2,295,692 :Safranskiet al. :Sept; 15,1942 30 isto Jam-.26, 1943 2,335,502 'cExley .;Nov. 530, 1943 2,352,! 63 ':Be11 July. 4, $1944 2,406,77 Hughes :Sept; 3,1946 1 ,445, ;?HQh1.."mug-"u" .J.u1y..13. .1948 4 0-4 PBierm -.-,...-.--f' .w $19.50 

